Fall
by Sen-chan21
Summary: Oneshot. Companion to “Unanswered Prayers” but can be read seperatly. Hermione has been working too hard lately. Can Ron help her see this and relax? Songfic to “Fall” by Clay Walker. Please R&R.


**!!ANNOUNCEMENT!!****  
I am looking for someone to do some drawings for me, so if anyone has a deviantart account and is interested, please PM me with a link to your profile and I will choose someone and give more details on the artwork I need. So if you're interested, let me know!  
Ronsgurl92**

Summary: Companion to "Unanswered Prayers" but can be read by itself. Hermione has been working too hard lately. Can Ron help her see this and relax? Songfic to "Fall" by Clay Walker.

**A/N: I've been planning this story for so long I don't even remember when I got the idea. It's a companion story to "Unanswered Prayers" (also a Songfic), but it's not necessary that you read it to understand this. All you need to know is that Harry and Ginny are at Hogwarts for James's first Quidditch match, and they left Albus and Lily with Ron and Hermione while they're gone. At the end of "Prayers" Harry owls Ron to find out if Al and Lily can spend the night (read it to find out why…) and that's where this story picks up. As always, a link to the music video for this song can be found in my profile.**

* * *

"Fall"

Pig waited patiently on the windowsill as Ron finished his reply to Harry and Ginny's letter.

_Harry,_

_No problem. Al is about ready to drop anyway, and Rose and Lily are delighted with the idea of a sleepover. We'll see you in the morning._

_-Ron_

_P.S. I want a perfect play-by-play of the match when you get here._

He folded the note and gave it to Pig, who flew off into the night.

Ron heard Hermione's voice coming from the back of the house. He glanced in Hugo's room as he walked down the hallway. The boys were both fast asleep. They had worn themselves out running around all day.

He stopped in the doorway of the girls' room, listening to Hermione read them a bedtime story from her worn, tattered copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard. _When she finished the story, she closed the book and stood, leaning down to kiss each of them.

"Good night," she whispered, turning out the lamp on the bedside table. "Go to sleep."

_Oh look, there you go again__  
__Puttin' on that smile again__  
__Even though I know you've had a bad day_

Ron smiled as he returned to the kitchen, knowing full well that Rose and Lily would be awake whispering for another hour at least.

He started the dishes in the sink washing with a wave of his wand and picked up a rag to clean up the mess on the counter.

Hermione walked into the adjoining den "Oh. Thank you, Ron" she sighed when she saw him. "Everything's been so crazy lately; I wasn't sure when I was going to get a chance to do that." She put the book back in its place on the shelf beside the equally battered _Hogwarts, A History_ and went to her office.

Ron shook his head. She was working too hard these days.

_Doin' this and doin' that__  
__Always putting yourself last__  
__Whole lotta give and not enough take  
__  
But you can only be strong so long before you break_

He walked back to their bedroom and changed into a pair of old pajama pants and a plain t-shirt. He went back to the office, only to find Hermione sitting at her desk, surrounded by documents, memos, and a stack of letters waiting to be answered.

Ron leaned on the door frame. "Hermione, love, come to bed."

"I can't!" she said wearily, "I have too much to get done."

_So fall__  
__Go on and fall apart__  
__Fall into these arms of mine__  
__I'll catch you every time you fall__  
__Go on and lose it all__  
__Every doubt, every fear, every worry, every tear__  
__I'm right here__  
__Baby fall_

"Can't it wait?" he asked.

Hermione's hand came down hard on the desk. "No, it can't wait!" she insisted, a touch of desperation in her voice. She continued talking as she crossed to the muggle coffee maker her parents had given them. "There's laundry to be done, the garden needs de-gnoming, and Rose has outgrown nearly all her clothes, so I have to take her shopping…" Her shoulders fell as she filled her mug and set the coffee pot back in place. "So no, Ronald, _this_ can't wait."

She lifted the cup to her lips, but Ron stopped her. Hermione tried to protest, but Ron held up one hand to silence her, taking the coffee from her with the other. He set the mug on the desk behind him, and turned to face his disgruntled wife.

Fighting a chuckle at her annoyed, frustrated expression, he took her hands and said, "Hermione, listen to me. I love you, and I hate to see you running yourself sick like this."

_Forget about the world tonight__  
__All that's wrong and all that's right__  
__Lay your head on my shoulder__  
__Let it fade away_

_And if you wanna let go, baby it's okay._

"Look," he continued. "Tomorrow's Sunday; you don't have to go to work. You take Rose shopping on Diagon Alley, and turn it into a girls' day out. Eat lunch, go out for ice cream, and just relax and enjoy it." She looked at him skeptically. "And while you're gone, I'll take care of the laundry, and Hugo can help me de-gnome the garden. He gets a kick out of that anyway," He finished. He looked at her, searching her face for a reaction.

She didn't look entirely convinced, but she was too tired to fight it, and the idea of a day off was really appealing… "Okay," she said at last.

_Fall__  
__Go on and fall apart__  
__Fall into these arms of mine__  
__I'll catch you every time you fall__  
__Go on and lose it all__  
__Every doubt, every fear, every worry, every tear.__  
__I'm right here__  
__Baby fall_

Ron let out a sigh of relief, releasing her hands and taking her in his arms. She slumped against him, exhausted.

_Hold on, hold on, hold on to me…_

Ron led her back to the bedroom and set her gently on the bed. He helped her undress and slip on her nightgown before she lay down, almost asleep already. Ron covered her up and climbed in on the other side, wrapping one arm tightly around her as he drifted off to sleep himself.

_Fall__  
__Go on and fall apart__  
__Fall into these arms of mine__  
__I'll catch you every time you fall__  
__Go on and lose it all__  
__Every doubt, every fear, every worry every tear__  
__I'm right here__  
__Baby fall_

Hermione opened her eyes to see light from the window reflecting off the familiar off-white walls of her bedroom. She stretched and rolled over in Ron's arms. The motion woke him.

"Sorry," she murmured sheepishly as his eyelids fluttered open.

"It's okay," he mumbled with a sleepy smile.

"Thank you for what you did last night. I shouldn't let myself get like that, but sometimes…between work, the house, and the kids…" she trailed off, not sure what to say.

It didn't matter though. Ron needed no further explanation. "I understand," he assured her. Then he grinned. "After all, I knew what I was getting into when I married a perfectionist."

She narrowed her eyes in a half-hearted glare, but he only continued to grin until she gave up and laughed, snuggling into his chest as his arms tightened around her.

She knew she should get up and make breakfast for the kids, but it could wait a few minutes…

* * *

**A/N: I'm really happy with how this turned out. We all know how hot-tempered he can be sometimes, but I love writing this sweet, caring side of Ron. You may have heard this song performed by Kimberly Locke, but I prefer Clay Walker's version, and that's what I used here .A big thanks to my wonderful beta Kat, who caught my mistake of originally using Hedwig, who (sadly) did not survive DH. Listen to the song and please review! **


End file.
